The Great Outdoors: In time for Game Day, ravens stage a comeback

Feb. 1, 2013

Written by

Rick Marsi

Several times a month, I hear them overhead. Itís a loud croaking sound, not melodious but infused with a wilderness essence. When I hear it, my pulse quickens, I stop what Iím doing, and I watch them as long as I can.

What I see when I watch is a bird you might think is a crow. Indeed, the common raven is black, but thatís about all it shares with its more widespread cousin.

Donít get me wrong. I enjoy watching crows. But they simply canít fly like a raven. Before I describe that flight, here are some facts. Ravens are one-third larger than crows. In fact, they possess a longer wingspan and overall length than a red-tailed hawk. Possessed of large, imposing, dagger-shaped bills, they hardly ever travel in flocks. Most of the time, when you look up, youíll see one or two birds.

As to how well they fly, if theyíre moving along from point A to point B, youíll note their wingbeats appear anything but mechanical. Instead, the flapping motion seems relaxed, even casual, almost lighter than air. Some describe it as fluid and graceful.

Fortunately for raven admirers, these birds seem unable to just flap along. They prefer, oftentimes, to engage in stunts pilots in air shows would no doubt admire.

They dive down, then swoop up. Then they just glide along ó no wingbeats needed. Sometimes I see them high overhead, soaring in circles, riding thermals as well as a hawk.

Much of the time, on the wing, they vocalize. These loud croaking sounds make me think Iíve been transported to one of the worldís wildest places.

Hereís the good news: Raven numbers here have increased dramatically. The surge hasnít come without struggles. By 1900, ravens had been nearly wiped out in New York. Shot indiscriminately, they also suffered from widespread forest destruction. Ravens can live in many habitats, but forests are one of their favorites.

By 1980, forests statewide had rebounded. That was the year New York birders began canvassing the state, compiling data for New Yorkís first breeding bird atlas. Dividing the state into more than 5,000 blocks, each one 6 miles square, compilers scoured these blocks from 1980 to 1985, reporting the birds they observed.

During that period, ravens were confirmed as breeding in 49 blocks statewide.

In 2000, exactly 20 years after the first atlas project started gathering data, a second project began. Again, birders canvassed every block in the state over a five year period. During that span ó from 2000 to 2005 ó ravens were confirmed as breeding in 397 blocks, a remarkable increase over just two decades.

The fact people arenít shooting them anymore surely has helped them rebound, as has the stateís continued reforestation.

Regarding todayís game, Iím not telling you who to root for. But check out those helmets on the Baltimore team. Thatís a very cool bird on the side.